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By Ritika Puri, Raymond James Contributor

Your finances are your lifeblood. Every dream you've ever chased—the new house, a top-shelf education for your child, starting your own business—all depend on managing your income and growing your investment portfolio. You can go it alone, or you can look for a trustworthy financial advisor who can help make your dreams a reality.

The right financial planner won't just help you during the best of times. They'll be a partner who understands your goals and the challenges you're facing no matter what. For Shelly Church, senior vice president of investments and certified financial planner (CFP®) at Raymond James1, that understanding comes from firsthand experience.

"I grew up with a single mom and watched her struggle on one income," Church said. "I needed to educate myself and become more aware of my finances. What started as an educational process became a career."

Financial advisors like Church do more than look at spreadsheets—they take the time to understand your goals, ambitions and concerns. For many of us, sharing this intensely personal information with a third party isn't easy. But these steps can help you find the right advisor to act as a trusted partner on your financial journey.

Look for a Deeper Connection

A good financial planner has more to offer than just financial expertise. Begin by looking for an advisor with whom you can connect on a personal level. For Church, that connection often comes as a result of her firsthand experience.

"I find the best thing to do is share stories from my own personal life," she noted. "It's the feeling of being alone there that causes discomfort. I love to show my clients that there are so many people with insecurities about finances and money and who have been exactly where they are."

No matter the client, Church stressed the importance of making clear that she's invested in their financial security and helping them achieve their goals.

"Good financial planners will approach their clients as individuals, realizing that everyone deserves their own attention."

Find a Financial Planner Who Listens

Church stressed that open communication is paramount to building a strong relationship between advisor and client.

"If a client isn't open, it's [often] because he or she has had a bad experience with a financial advisor in the past," she said. "It's fear of the unknown that holds us back from open communication."

To encourage a new client to open up, Church typically asks questions beyond basic finances.

"I ask questions about my client's past, family and goals. I look for clues that can help me build a stronger connection."

Church emphasized that it's critical to find a financial planner who listens before offering advice. Emotions are an extremely important part of the financial planning process. The right advisor will understand that, she said.

Look for Fee Structures that Make Sense

According to Church, the best financial advisors are incentivized to be on their clients' sides.

"More and more at this point, [advisors'] fees are based on a percentage of assets," Church said. In other words, financial advisors receive compensation based on the growth of their clients' assets.

"We work with very few clients on a commission basis. The reason why the industry is moving this way is to put financial planners on the same side of the table as their clients."

"I'm a big believer that there is no such thing as a stupid question," says Church.

Your finances are tied to more than just your income and investments. Your insecurities and fears can also affect the performance of your portfolio. Because these uncertainties won't disappear overnight, it's important to find a financial planner who's invested in working with you for the long haul.

Church explained that top financial planners always believe in their clients, regardless of fears and hesitations.

"The whole person is more important than a spreadsheet," she said. "We help clients accomplish exactly what they want."

Ritika Puri specializes in business, marketing, entrepreneurship and tech. She writes for American Express OPEN Forum, Forbes, Investopedia, Business Insider, CMO, the SAP Innovation Blog, and others.

1. Raymond James & Associates, Inc., Member New York Stock Exchange/SIPC